Margene Mary Deal

January 5, 1943 - June 20, 2026

Margene Deal, age 83, formerly of Bovey, MN passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at Maple Woods Assisted Living, Deer River, MN. Her daughters, Terri and Tammy, and grandchildren Max and Lily were at her side when she passed.

Margene was born in Grand Rapids, MN on January 5, 1943, to Frederick "Fritz" and Helen Thompson. She grew up in Bovey and was a student at Greenway Public Schools. Margene met Everett "Al" Manning when he was stationed at the Grand Rapids Air Force Station. They married in 1960 and lived in Itasca County where their daughter Theresa "Terri" and son Kent were born. As Al continued in his Air Force career, the family relocated to the Gainesville, FL area where their second daughter, Karol was born. Two years later, the Manning family found themselves stationed in central Wisconsin, and welcomed their fourth child, Tamera "Tammy". Margene often fondly reminisced about the years she lived in Florida and Wisconsin. Eventually, Al and Margene parted ways, with Al staying in Wisconsin and Margene and their four children moving back to Bovey.

In the fall of 1976, Margene met and married Duane Deal and in 1978 they readily and happily welcomed their son, Patrick. Margene and Duane were married for nearly 48 years until Duane's passing in 2024. Their marriage created an intermingled family that included Margene's four children, their son, and Duane's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; Gary (Nancy) Deal and sons Jason and Matthew, Colleen (Wayne, preceded in death) Eichenberger and children, Rebecca (CJ) Sorensen and their children Eric and Annika, Brian (Chaye) Eichenberger and sons Bauer and Cohen, James (Jennifer) Eichenberger and children Tristan, Miles and Scout, Jane (Lyle) Deal Braund, Jane's children Sebastian (Lauryn) Davin and their children Hazel, Juniper and Magnolia, Seth (Jessica Markuson) Davin, and Grace (Stefano Cabot) Davin, Paul Deal, Joe Deal, and Bryan Deal.

As a homemaker, Margene shared her enjoyment of cooking, baking, reading, and gardening with her family. She was an accomplished seamstress, and her children and grandchildren proudly wore the outfits and fun Halloween costumes she sewed. Margene especially loved going to concerts with family and friends. Her strong passion for different genres of music was happily shared with others, making her "the cool mom/grandma" who listened to a lot of the same music her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren listened to. Another hobby of Margene's was decorating for the holidays, especially Halloween, with their home being a favorite stop for neighborhood trick or treaters.

Despite facing many hardships throughout her life, Margene's faith in God never wavered and she often talked about the peace she felt from God's love and forgiveness, especially in her final years.

Margene was preceded in death by her husband, Duane; parents, Fritz and Helen; infant brother, Frederick James; grandson, Paul Simon Deal; granddaughter, Mikki Manning; daughter-in-law, Stephanie Manning; and former son-in-law and friend, Grady Crow.

Margene will be missed by her daughters Terri (Dan) Hertle, Karol Roberts, Tammy (Dave) Brainerd; sons, Kent Manning and Patrick Deal; sisters, Karol and Rene' Thompson; brother, Keith Thompson; grandchildren, Christina (Don) Smith, Rebecca (Jeremiah Reid) Manning, Tammy Jo Manning, Maxwell Brainerd, Lily Brainerd, Krista Deal, Emily Deal; great-grandchildren, Damian, Jake (Morgan), Gabe, Adrian, Bradley, Ashtan, Ava Jayne, Joseph; niece, Melissa; nephews, Marc and Zachary; along with many cousins, extended family, and friends.

Margene's family would like to thank Maple Woods Assisted Living and Memory Care staff and Essentia Health Itasca Hospice for their dedication and compassion in caring for Margene.

Please join us for Margene's Celebration of Life and a light lunch on Saturday, August 29 at the Longyear Park Pavilion in Coleraine from 2:00 - 4:00pm.